Antiques dealer helps police catch thieves

A Genoa antiques dealer helped police nab three suspects and recover hundreds of stolen items this weekend.

Carson City Sheriff's Detective Daniel Gonzales said that on Saturday the unnamed antiques dealer had received a phone call from a man offering to sell her antiques.

A few weeks before, the same man had entered the dealer's shop and sold her several items, including an antique clock and antique toy train, that she'd recognized had been stolen from her friend's home on North Minnesota Street in early December, said Gonzales.

After agreeing to meet with the man in the Safeway parking lot, the woman called police. At about 2 p.m., she met with Terry Lee Kneese and gave him $200 for more items. Then officers moved in and arrested Kneese, 48, said Gonzales.

According to the arrest report, Kneese told officers that he'd received the stolen items from landscaping business owner Samuel Contreras and that he'd helped Contreras burglarize the Minnesota Street home and another on Gay Circle on Dec. 6.

Officers met with Contreras, 50, and his roommate Elizabeth Rivera, 32, at his West Fifth Street home. Gonzales said officers found dozens of items reported stolen from both residential burglaries.

Small bags with methamphetamine residue, bags of marijuana, glass smoking pipes, brass knuckles and several rifles and shotguns also were found

in the home, according to the report.

Kneese was booked into the Carson City Jail on suspicion of felony possession of stolen property, transfer of stolen property and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. His bail was set at $21,132.

Rivera was booked on suspicion of two counts of felony possession of stolen property, misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana. Her bail was set at $32,264.

Contreras, owner of A to Z Landscaping in Carson City, was arrested on suspicion of two counts of felony possession of stolen property, possession of a dangerous drug, maintaining a place for unlawful sale or use of a controlled substance, possession of methamphetamine, gross misdemeanor possession of brass knuckles, misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana.

His bail was set at $50,000.

- Contact reporter F.T. Norton at ftnor

ton@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1213.